C.M. Brown's Blog, page 21

TEASER TUESDAY

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by
http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along!Just do the followingGrab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS!
Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!


You don't want to ruin the book for others!
 
Redheart  (Leland Dragon Series #1) byJackie Gamber (Goodreads Author), Matthew Perry (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) BLURB:  Kallon Redheart lives with his back turned on his fellow dragons, on humans, and on everything he once understood. Riza Diantus is a young woman with dreams too wide to fit inside her village fence. Their unexpected friendship is risky in Leland Province, where drought has stripped the land and superstition has cowed its people. And the danger only grows. Fordon Blackclaw, Dragon Council Leader, resents Leland's time-worn venur system. He has inflamed tensions between dragons and humans to the brink of war. He wants to trample humans into utter submission, or wipe them off the face of the land. Anger erupts, scorching innocent lives in its path. When Riza is threatened, Kallon is the only one with the power to save her. But first, he must confront his past and the future he stopped believing in. He must claim his destiny  MY TEASER:  Surely she was still dreaming, they couldn’t be real. She reached a fingertip to see. Those dark scales were rising and falling, rising and falling, as though attached to something breathing.

Gamber, Jackie (2011-04-05). Redheart (Leland Dragon Series) (Kindle Locations 127-128). Seventh Star Press. Kindle Edition.

BLOG TOUR - LILLIAN HOLMES AND THE LEAPING MAN BY CIAR CULLEN

Today I am hosting Ciar Cullen and her new release: The Leaping ManIncluded in this post is an excerpt from The Leaping Man, and the results of a Meyers/Briggs Personality Test on Lillian Holmes, Cian Cullen's MC. Also, at the bottom of this post you will find my review!
Welcome Ciar, and all the best with the release and the Tour!


Title: Lillian Holmes & The Leaping Man

Author: Ciar Cullen
Genre: Paranormal Historical Romance
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Blurb: 

At the cusp of the twentieth century, an heiress turned detective enters a world of deception and danger and must learn to trust her nemesis with both her life and her love.

Tormented by a tragic past, Miss Lillian Holmes nonetheless found the strength to go on, to become the greatest female detective of her time. To make her uncle proud. Except...he was not truly her uncle. Sherlock was a fictional character, and Lil was less a true detective than a sheltered twenty-six year old heiress with taste for mystery...and morphine. But then she saw him. Leaping from her neighbor’s second-story window, a beautiful stranger. With the recent murders plaguing Baltimore, here was a chance to
reveal the truth.

Except, the Leaping Man was far more than he seemed. A wanton creature of darkness, an entry point to a realm of deception and evil, and to a Truth she had waited countless years to uncover, he would threaten far more than Lillian’s life. He would take both her heart and soul. And she would rejoice in it.


Excerpt:Lillian Holmes & the Leaping Man

At the cusp of the twentieth century, an heiress turned detective enters a world of deception and danger and must learn to trust her nemesis with both her life and her love.

Tormented by a tragic past, Miss Lillian Holmes nonetheless found the strength to go on, to become the greatest female detective of her time. To make her uncle proud. Except…he was not truly her uncle. Sherlock was a fictional character, and Lil was less a true detective than a sheltered twenty-six year old heiress with taste for mystery…and  morphine. But then she saw him. Leaping from her neighbor’s second-story window, a beautiful stranger. With the recent murders plaguing Baltimore, here was a chance to  reveal the truth.

Except, the Leaping Man was far more than he seemed. A wanton creature of darkness, an entry point to a realm of deception and evil, and to a Truth she had waited countless years to uncover, he would threaten far more than Lillian’s life. He would take both her heart and soul. And she would rejoice in it.




Lillian Holmes Takes the Myers/Briggs Personality Test



I had my heroine take a personality test, although she really thinks that sort of thing is nonsense and not provable. But I wanted to see how well I understand her. Lillian Holmes will face many, many trials in upcoming books, and it’s important for me to understand who she is, at a very basic psychological level. Honestly, I was relieved that we don’t have the same “type,” as I’m an INFJ – Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging - (a lot of writers are), and she’s an INTJ. T is for Thinking. So, she pretty much comes up the way I’d envision her hero, Sherlock Holmes would—introverted (not shy), meticulous, and above all, favoring reason. Except she does have a soft heart, but her depression gets in the way sometimes. I was not surprised to see that Lil shares her type with Fitzwilliam Darcy.  
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness," of self-confidence. This self-confidence is sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance, like Darcy. Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. (Oh, Lil, is anyone good enough for you? How could you have fallen in love with your nemesis? And can’t you see that he’s taken with you as well?) 
Many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). That is one reason why Lillian Holmes (and Mr. Darcy) loathes balls and the like. What to say? Why would one waste one’s time on small talk? Where is the fun in small talk? Depth! Give me an intellectual equal, she cries.
To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense.  Poor Lil, who makes sense? Certainly not a brooding vampire in love.
What is your personality type? Do you identify strongly with any fictional characters? What is their type? You might not be so surprised to find that you share a type. If you’ve never taken Myers/Briggs, it’s quite fast and fun, and can be taken here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp A lot of psychology types hates these tests, so this is for fun. I hope you like my heroine as much as I do. And I know some of you will identify with her. That makes me happy. But I’m an INFJ, and we tend to want others to be happy.
  My Review:

Vampires! This story by Ciar Cullen is set in the past, when the norm was to have a household, full of servants and when ladies were expected to behave a certain way.

Lillian Holmes, the MC, is a little different and definitely is not the norm. She lives in a fantasy of her own making and has difficulty distinguishing reality from her hallucinations.

But, when she discovers a man leaping from her neighbour's high set window in the middle of the night, her life changes. 

The Leaping Man is quite a different tale and is an entertaining read, as Ciar takes her readers into the early Twentieth Century, where science, machine and man began to entwine. 

Ciar has captured the era magnificently, in her descriptive text and style. The voice of this time period is brought to life through the language and mannerisms of the main character, Lillian Holme's.

I really enjoyed this take on Vampires, and even though I do not habitually read books set in this time period, Ciar captured my imagination with the storyline, settings and characters. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good vampire read and those who love to read novels set in this time period.

BLOG TOUR - LILLIAN HOLMES AND THE LEAPING MAN BY CIAN CULLEN

Today I am hosting Ciar Cullen and her new release: The Leaping ManIncluded in this post is an excerpt from The Leaping Man, and the results of a Meyers/Briggs Personality Test on Lillian Holmes, Cian Cullen's MC. Also, at the bottom of this post you will find my review!
Welcome Ciar, and all the best with the release and the Tour!


Title: Lillian Holmes & The Leaping Man

Author: Ciar Cullen
Genre: Paranormal Historical Romance
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Blurb: 

At the cusp of the twentieth century, an heiress turned detective enters a world of deception and danger and must learn to trust her nemesis with both her life and her love.

Tormented by a tragic past, Miss Lillian Holmes nonetheless found the strength to go on, to become the greatest female detective of her time. To make her uncle proud. Except...he was not truly her uncle. Sherlock was a fictional character, and Lil was less a true detective than a sheltered twenty-six year old heiress with taste for mystery...and morphine. But then she saw him. Leaping from her neighbor’s second-story window, a beautiful stranger. With the recent murders plaguing Baltimore, here was a chance to
reveal the truth.

Except, the Leaping Man was far more than he seemed. A wanton creature of darkness, an entry point to a realm of deception and evil, and to a Truth she had waited countless years to uncover, he would threaten far more than Lillian’s life. He would take both her heart and soul. And she would rejoice in it.


Excerpt:Lillian Holmes & the Leaping Man

At the cusp of the twentieth century, an heiress turned detective enters a world of deception and danger and must learn to trust her nemesis with both her life and her love.

Tormented by a tragic past, Miss Lillian Holmes nonetheless found the strength to go on, to become the greatest female detective of her time. To make her uncle proud. Except…he was not truly her uncle. Sherlock was a fictional character, and Lil was less a true detective than a sheltered twenty-six year old heiress with taste for mystery…and  morphine. But then she saw him. Leaping from her neighbor’s second-story window, a beautiful stranger. With the recent murders plaguing Baltimore, here was a chance to  reveal the truth.

Except, the Leaping Man was far more than he seemed. A wanton creature of darkness, an entry point to a realm of deception and evil, and to a Truth she had waited countless years to uncover, he would threaten far more than Lillian’s life. He would take both her heart and soul. And she would rejoice in it.
 



Lillian Holmes Takes the Myers/Briggs Personality Test



I had my heroine take a personality test, although she really thinks that sort of thing is nonsense and not provable. But I wanted to see how well I understand her. Lillian Holmes will face many, many trials in upcoming books, and it’s important for me to understand who she is, at a very basic psychological level. Honestly, I was relieved that we don’t have the same “type,” as I’m an INFJ – Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging - (a lot of writers are), and she’s an INTJ. T is for Thinking. So, she pretty much comes up the way I’d envision her hero, Sherlock Holmes would—introverted (not shy), meticulous, and above all, favoring reason. Except she does have a soft heart, but her depression gets in the way sometimes. I was not surprised to see that Lil shares her type with Fitzwilliam Darcy.  
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness," of self-confidence. This self-confidence is sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance, like Darcy. Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. (Oh, Lil, is anyone good enough for you? How could you have fallen in love with your nemesis? And can’t you see that he’s taken with you as well?) 
Many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). That is one reason why Lillian Holmes (and Mr. Darcy) loathes balls and the like. What to say? Why would one waste one’s time on small talk? Where is the fun in small talk? Depth! Give me an intellectual equal, she cries.
To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense.  Poor Lil, who makes sense? Certainly not a brooding vampire in love.
What is your personality type? Do you identify strongly with any fictional characters? What is their type? You might not be so surprised to find that you share a type. If you’ve never taken Myers/Briggs, it’s quite fast and fun, and can be taken here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp A lot of psychology types hates these tests, so this is for fun. I hope you like my heroine as much as I do. And I know some of you will identify with her. That makes me happy. But I’m an INFJ, and we tend to want others to be happy.
  My Review:

Vampires! This story by Ciar Cullen is set in the past, when the norm was to have a household, full of servants and when ladies were expected to behave a certain way.

Lillian Holmes, the MC, is a little different and definitely is not the norm. She lives in a fantasy of her own making and has difficulty distinguishing reality from her hallucinations.

But, when she discovers a man leaping from her neighbour's high set window in the middle of the night, her life changes. 

The Leaping Man is quite a different tale and is an entertaining read, as Ciar takes her readers into the early Twentieth Century, where science, machine and man began to entwine. 

Ciar has captured the era magnificently, in her descriptive text and style. The voice of this time period is brought to life through the language and mannerisms of the main character, Lillian Holme's.

I really enjoyed this take on Vampires, and even though I do not habitually read books set in this time period, Ciar captured my imagination with the storyline, settings and characters. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good vampire read and those who love to read novels set in this time period.

THE ACTUATOR, BOOK ONE, FRACTURED EARTH

THE ACTUATOR
Book OneFRACTURED EARTH
BY James Wymore & Aiden James
Blurb:
On a secret military base tucked in a remote desert mountain, a dangerous machine lies hidden from the American public. Known as “The Actuator”, this machine is capable of transforming entire communities into alternate realities. In theory, these often terrifying realities are reversible.
The scientists in charge of this machine employ operatives called Machine Monks, who attune their minds to manifest single ideas from the realms of fantasy and science fiction. These ideas are then superimposed upon sparsely inhabited areas for testing. For a while, the enigmatic Actuator cooperates with the experiments, using dampeners to limit the affected area. But those in charge of the project eagerly anticipate exploring the full potential of this amazing device.
Experiments progress to where they feed more than twenty different genre ideas simultaneously into the Actuator’s database. Meanwhile, an unknown saboteur dismantles the dampeners. The affect is catastrophic. The entire world is plunged into chaos, and familiar landscapes become a deadly patchwork of genre horrors. Overnight, the Actuator becomes the worst menace the earth has ever seen, claiming lives in staggering numbers. 
Can a few surviving Machine Monks band together to set things right again?  It all depends on whether Red McLaren and the Monks can survive their journey through the various realms that separate them from the Actuator, where ever-present orcs, aliens, pirates, and vampires seek to destroy them. They must move quickly, as time is running out to stop the Actuator and the villain who controls it and the earth’s destiny. 
 To read an excerpt of The Actuator follow the link to James Wymore's site:   http://jameswymore.wordpress.com/books/the-actuator/the-actuator-excerpt/

James Wymore, Author Bio
Tall tales and imagination filled James Wymore’s formative years as he moved around the American West.  Constantly in pursuit of a gateway to another world, he failed to find a literal door to another reality.  However, he learned to travel everywhere fantastic through writing.As an adult, James voyaged to other continents, where new philosophies and cultures fed his desire to see life from different perspectives.  He then immersed himself in studying nature, in the hopes of finding a loophole.  Along the way, he continued creating stories about alternate worlds like the ones hiding just out of sight.James finally settled in the Rocky Mountains with his pet wolf, Kilgore, and started publishing his work.  With three books and six short stories in print after just one year, he celebrates the best supernatural portal he’s found so far—the mind.Search with him at http://jameswymore.wordpress.com

On a lifelong search for fantastic worlds hiding just out of sight, James Wymore writes to explore.  With three books and six short stories in print after just one year, he continues to push the boundaries of imagination.  Journey with him at http://jameswymore.wordpress.com

 You can find James on:Goodreads
Aiden James, Author bio  As an author fascinated by Gothic history and the supernatural, I have presently written thirteen novels and six coauthored books with many more to follow--including six more books slated for release by the end of 2013. I reside in Tennessee with my lovely wife, Fiona, and our two sons, Christopher and Tyler, and a very feisty terrier named Gypsy.

My wife and I have been avid researchers of all things paranormal for nearly twenty years. To that end, we still spend time investigating haunted locales throughout the Deep South.

To learn more about me and my latest books, please visit my website: www.aidenjamesfiction.com
You can find Aiden:Goodreads 

TEASER TUESDAY & CASSA STORM - TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by
http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along!Just do the followingGrab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS!
Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!


You don't want to ruin the book for others!


CassaStorm
By Alex J Cavanaugh
From the Amazon Best Selling Series!
Find CassaStorm:Barnes and Noble Amazon Amazon Kindle Goodreads

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space operaPrint ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019$4.99 EBook available in all formats
 
 BLURB:
A storm gathers across the galaxy…
Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.
After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.
Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…
MY TEASER:

With reluctance, Bassan stepped away from the console but didn’t relinquish his hold. Drent’s hand lifted from his shoulder and Bassan caught his breath. His fingers were beside the ball. He was so close. This might be his only opportunity to experience something new. Ignoring the voice of reason that screamed in his head, Bassan grasped the metallic orb. A jolt of energy shot through his fingertips. It travelled up his arm to his brain. Images flashed through his mind at a rapid pace, blinding in their intensity. The console in front of him was lost as the vivid array raced through his head. Frightened and confused, Bassan opened his mouth to cry out for help. Before he could utter a sound, the kaleidoscope ended. He gasped at the sudden void.

Cavanaugh, Alex J.. CassaStorm (Kindle Locations 601-606). Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.. Kindle Edition.


  “With a talent for worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters, Alex J. Cavanaugh combines high powered space battles and the challenges of family dynamics to provide readers a space opera with heart.”

- Elizabeth S. Craig, author of the Southern Quilting and Myrtle Clover mysteries
“…the racial conflicts propelled much of the plot in this story, driving home a message that's relevant to our own world and giving the book an interesting texture.”
- C. Lee. McKenzie, author of Alligators Overhead





Alex J. Cavanaugh Website – http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/Twitter – http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh   Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4287922.Alex_J_Cavanaugh
  Comment on Alex’s blog this week 
for a chance to win a Cassa mug, 
 mousepad, magnet, and swag!

INDIESTRUCTIBLE BY JESSICA BELL

Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing JungleeBook: $0.99 USD
Publisher: Vine Leaves Press
ISBN 10: 0987593102
ISBN 13: 9780987593108
Language: EnglishEdited & Compiled: by Jessica Bell
byJessica Bell (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Alex J. Cavanaugh (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Anne R. Allen (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Briane Pagel (Contributor), C.S. Lakin (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Ciara Knight (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Cindy M. Hogan (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), D. Robert Pease (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Dawn Ius (Contributor), Jadie Jones (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Kristie Cook (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Laura Diamond (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Laura Pauling (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Laurel Garver (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Leigh Talbert Moore (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Lori Robinson (Contributor), Michael Offutt (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Michelle D. Argyle (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Rick Daley (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Roz Morris (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Stephen Tremp (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Susan Kaye Quinn (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), S.R. Johannes (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Emily White (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Angela Brown (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Karen Bass (Goodreads Author), Greg Metcalf (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Karen Walker (Contributor)

BLURB:
 
Need motivation and inspiration to self-publish or sign that contract with an interested small press? Have you done all the research you can, but still feel ambivalent about the idea? Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle brings you the experiences of 29 indie authors—their passions, their insights, their successes—to help you make the leap into indie publishing.

This is not a how-to guide. This is the best of the indie tradition of experienced authors paying forward what they’ve learned, giving you information to help you on your journey. The personal essays in this book will leave you itching to get your work into the hands of readers and experience, first-hand, all the rewards indie publishing has to offer.

100% of proceeds will be donated to BUILDON.org, a movement which breaks the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education.


ONLY 99c TO HELP SUPPORT THE INDIE AUTHOR & AN AMAZING CHARITY!by Jessica Bell
The day I realized I’d been obsessing over my sales figures way too much was the day I closed my eyes and tried to think about the real reason I am an indie author.
Is my primary goal to make money? No. So why do I keep obsessing over my sales stats? I realized it’s because more sales means more people reading my work. What I really really want is to be read. I want to share the one thing in this world I would cut my fingers off for. I know. If I didn’t have any fingers, I wouldn’t be able to physically write, but you know what I mean.
My passion for writing comes with a perpetual replacement button, attached to my side seam, just in case it becomes unraveled, and falls off, after a day gallivanting through the publishing jungle. It can be tough in there, but in the end, being an indie author is OH SO WORTH IT.
This made me wonder …  what’s everybody else’s story?Then Indiestructible was born.
Need motivation and inspiration to self-publish, or sign that contract with an interested small press? Have you done all the research you can, but still feel ambivalent about the idea? Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle brings you the experiences of 29 indie authors—their passions, their insights, their successes—to help you make the leap into indie publishing.

This is not a how-to guide. This is the best of the indie tradition of experienced authors paying forward what they’ve learned, giving you information to help you on your journey. The personal essays in this book will leave you itching to get your work into the hands of readers and experience, first-hand, all the rewards indie publishing has to offer.
Not only is this anthology packed full of interesting, unique, and genuinely helpful information, and totally worth the 99c (only 99c!!!), 100% of proceeds will be donated to BUILDON.org , a movement which breaks the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education.
Pretty amazing, huh?What are you waiting for?Buy Indiestructible—support the indie author and an amazing charity—TODAY!
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE INDIESTRUCTIBLE


About Jessica Bell:
The Australian-native contemporary fiction author, poet, and singer/songwriter/guitarist, Jessica Bell, also makes a living as an editor and writer for global ELT publishers (English Language Teaching), such as Pearson Education, HarperCollins, Macmillan Education, Education First and Cengage Learning.
She is the co-publishing editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and the director of the Homeric Writers’ Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca.
Connect with Jessica online:Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

WRITER'S FOR WRITER'S (W4W'S)

Stephen Tremp   Christine Rains M.Pax and (myself), C. M. Brown Writers helping other writers to succeed.
Twitter hashtag: #W4WS
Find us on Facebook An initiative to promote writers and their books (that’s you)!Our Mission:• Help writers bring awareness of their book(s) to tens of thousands of new people• Help writers reach Amazon Top 100 in at least one category (i.e., suspense, free, etc.)• Increase sales of their book(s) after the promo is over• Drive new traffic to their blog and increase following• Create verbal and viral buzz.W4W's is held the third Monday each month!

How it Works: The spotlighted author will choose a social media avenue, such as Twitter or Facebook (or both). Then, the good people of Blogdom will promote the author’s book to their Twitter followers or Facebook friends, that is, incredibly large new audiences the author could not reach on their own.
Facebook: The writer posts an image of their book along with a short blurb and a link to Kindle on their blog. Visitors simply click the Facebook page, then share the link with their FB friends. https://www.facebook.com/Writers4WritersTwitter: The author posts pre-written Tweets on his/her blog. At your convenience, simply copy and paste Tweets into Twitter. Or go to #W4WS on Twitter and Retweet.To sign up, join the Linky List HERE!  This month our selected authors are: Helen Ginger: http://straightfromhel.blogspot.comCherie Reich: http://cheriereich.blogspot.com Make sure you visit both our authors for this month and tweet and re-tweet their posted tweets!

HEIRS OF WAR, BOOK ONE BY MARA VALDERRAN BOOK TOUR

Today, I have invited Mara Valderran to my site to share with us the music inspirations and influences which helped her build her characters, and the inspiration to write her new release, Heirs of War.
I myself, am a strong advocate for using music to write, as I have found that it allows the creative juices to flow freely, as you become enveloped emotionally into the lyrics and musical depth of songs.
So when Mara suggested that she write about the music which influenced her writing, I of course found the idea perfect. Please wish Mara the best for her new release and send her your thoughts on her guest post by making a comment below or contact her personally. (Find her details at the bottom of this post).
Soundtrack Series Part 1: Finding the Inspiration to Kick Some Ass
Music is such a huge part of my writing process. So much so that I had to split this topic up into four different guest posts (and that still doesn’t cover all I have to say!). Today I am focusing on what type of music inspires me to write battle scenes.
Skillet, Within Temptation, Breaking Benjamin, Finger Eleven…these are the bands that flooded my playlist. In fact, I’m pretty sure every song Within Temptation has ever put out has a place on my soundtrack with some scene or character in mind. I have a very eclectic taste (my proclivity to listen to only Within Temptation aside), but the songs that inspire me all have a certain energy behind them that appeals to me. I’d love to get into guitar rhythms and drum tempos, but I’m not a musician by any stretch of the imagination (Does karaoke in the shower count?). There’s nothing really technical behind the music that draws me in. The songs have to be fast paced (like you would expect a battle to be) and with “Hell yeah!” kind of lyrics. It also helps if I can pretty much see a music video of my books in my head when I listen to the songs, which I do with the three examples below.Within Temptation “Final Destination”

“It’s waiting, always trying. I feel the hands of fate, they’re suffocating. Tell me what’s the reason. Is it all inside my head? Can’t take it no more!”This song has a great build of intensity, starting off with light piano before throwing in the guitars and drums. To me, this is a great chase scene. I can see it in my head. The lyrics also echo what my characters go through on this journey, and the chorus definitely brings to mind the destinies these girls can’t escape.
Skillet “Hero”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9x2CHQClTU
“Who’s gonna fight for what’s right? Who’s gonna help us survive? We’re in the fight of our lives, and we’re not ready to die. Who’s gonna fight for the weak? Who’s gonna make ‘em believe? I’ve got a hero living in me. I’ve gotta fight for what’s right. Today I’m speaking my mind. And if it kills me tonight, I will be ready to die. A hero’s not afraid to give his life. A hero’s gonna save me just in time.”This song starts off intense. You are basically thrown into it, which I love. The whole entire song could be told from any of the girls’ POVs. These are just normal girls thrown into this crazy world of magic—a crazy world full of people that either want more than they know how to give or want them dead. And they are struggling to be heard and to figure out how they belong. This song, to me, represents the buildup to finding the heroes in themselves.
Katy Perry “Who Am I Living For?”





“I can feel a phoenix inside of me, as I march alone to a different beat. Slowly swallowing down my fear. I am ready for the road less traveled. Suiting up for my crowning battle. This test is my own cross to bear, but I will get there.”Don’t judge! Yes, Katy Perry is on my rocking out list. And this song is sort of the theme song for the entire span of the books from Zelene and Ariana’s points of view. Each of the girls is discovering their own powers and their own strengths. They have literally been thrown into this war, and to think they won’t be faced with battle after battle and loss after loss is naïve, which is exactly how the Duillaine seem to think.I view Zelene to be the phoenix from the song. She is rising from the ashes to be a leader, whether she means to or not. She’s not the likely choice. Ariana would be the obvious choice for that since she is already so charismatic. But Zelene has the passion—the fire. And that’s going to move her to the frontlines of this war sooner than she thinks.Ariana is the light in this song. Everything she does touches the people around her, and it’s a lot of pressure to put on a young girl. She’s learning that there are going to be sacrifices along the way and she has to find it within herself to make those hard choices.“It’s never easy to be chosen, never easy to be called. Standing on the front line when the bombs start to fall. I can see the heavens but I still hear the flames calling out my name.I can see the writing on the wall. I can’t ignore this war. At the end of it all, who am I living for?”In the end, that is the question they all have to ask themselves. Are they willing to die to save others? But more importantly, are they willing to truly live in order to lead others?There’s a lot more that goes into this song, but it would spoil subsequent books, so I’ll keep my lips sealed for now!Thank you, Carolyn, for allowing me the opportunity to geek out over the music that inspires me. And thank you, readers, for taking a peek into my writerly world. I’d love to hear more about yours! Tell me, what inspires you to write battle scenes? Is it music, or watching some of your favorite showdowns (Harry vs Voldemort, anyone?) from movies and TV?

HEIRS OF WAR  (Book One) BYMARA VALDERRAN
New Adult/Upper Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18214181-heirs-of-warAmazon: Not Available YetBarnes & Noble: Link TBASmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/355668




BLURB:
Seventeen-year-old Zelene doesn't believe in magic or prophecies. When she's told she is part of the prophecy foretelling five powerful girls bringing peace to the war-torn worlds, she scoffs. The idea of other dimensions layered on top of the world she lives in is almost as ludicrous as the idea that she might be able to save them. After she is attacked by magic-wielding assassins, she finds she can't argue with reality.

As their enemies strike, the girls are taken back to their world and discover the ties binding them together. Rhaya has always had an uncanny knack for reading people, but can’t seem to unravel the mystery tying her to Isauria, the new friend she bonded with instantly. For years, Isauria has been dreaming of Terrena, a girl living her life on the run in a magical world ripped apart by the tragedies of war, completely unaware that she is psychically linked to the world she was born in.

Zelene views them all with a distrustful eye, familial bonds or no, and can think of a place or two she’d like to shove the crown she supposedly inherited. When she learns that her long-lost twin Ariana has been captured by the rebels, Zelene’s attitude changes. She doesn’t know how she is supposed to go against an army of magic-wielding rebels when her own ability to manipulate the elements is still locked within her. But can she trust the elders to rescue Ariana when it seems their medieval politics are what brought about the war in the first place? With all that is at stake, the answer becomes clear to Zelene.

Screw the worlds. She’s getting her sister back.
About the Author:
Mara Valderran has been coming up with stories pretty almost since she could talk, often commandeering her brother's G.I. Joes to play out her fictional tales alongside her Barbies. Once she hit adolescence and realized playing with dolls wasn't cool anymore, she started putting her ideas to paper. And she hasn’t stopped since.

Mara has worn many different artistic hats throughout her life. She has dabbled in screenwriting, plucked guitars and basses, toyed with singing, retired from acting, and drawn some pretty mean stick figures in her time. However, writing books seems to fit her best as she finds nothing more fulfilling than creating worlds and characters she can lose herself in.

Mara is more than just a madwoman with a writing box. She lives in the south with her husband and demanding cat. She hopes to one day meet Daniel Jackson from SG1, or at least the actor who played him. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, playing video games, or spending time at her favorite local coffee shop. Website: www.maravalderran.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormaravalderranTwitter: https://twitter.com/MaraValderran

COVER REVEAL - THE 13TH FLOOR COLLECTION BY CHRISTINE RAINS

THE 13TH FLOOR     (COMPLETE COLLECTION)
BY
CHRISTINE RAINS
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: October 13th, 2013
Blurb:Six supernatural tenantsLiving in a haunted apartment buildingOn a floor that doesn't exist.
Six novellas telling their tales.





********  Don't forget this Monday is W4W's


Hosted by Stephen Tremp , Christine Rains , M.Pax and myself C. M. Brown Writers helping other writers to succeed.
Twitter hashtag: #W4WS
Find us on Facebook An initiative to promote writers and their books (that’s you)!This month our guest writer's are:Helen Ginger @ http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com.au/  and Cherie Reich  @ http://cheriereich.blogspot.com.au/ ******** The 5 lucky winners for the September Sequel Blog Fest are:  Entry #91Eg K.Entry #60Valerie R.Entry #102Linda B.Entry #1Joseph A.Entry #152Michelle W.



 



These 5 winners will shortly be receiving emails with directions to collect their ebook copy of  He Came For Mine    byC.M. Brown

INDIE LIFE - THE INDELIBLES (MONTHLY MEME)

What is Indie Life?
http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com.au/ 
 
How: Sign up on the Linky at the bottom of Indelible Writer's Blog Page
When: Post on the second Wednesday of the month (starting 1/9/2013)
What: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie.
Grab: The banner above to include in your posts!


September, 2013

Last month I entered the Red, White and Blue makes Purple Blogfest, hosted by Melanie Schulz@ http://melanieschulz.blogspot.com.au/ 
and I am proud to announce that I was the winner of the writing competition, earning a $50 Amazon Gift Voucher. Melanie is putting together an anthology to raise money for the children of defense personnel, to allow them to experience Summer Camp, which I think is a very worthwhile cause. We were asked to write a 500 word piece based on a military theme. If you are interested in reading my entry, just click HERE. From there you can visit the other participants too!
 
Visit other sites, who post articles for Indie Life @ The Indelibles

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